PIPPEN A `HAPPY' BULL - REALLY

Melissa Isaacson, Tribune Staff WriterCHICAGO TRIBUNE

It was indeed a new-look Bulls team that filed in and out of the Berto Center Thursday night. New faces, new comments and a new attitude from the old Scottie Pippen, who swears he's not all that surprised to still be here.

Pippen wore a smile to the Bulls' Media Day session, left with one as well, and said all the right things in between to an audience that was not quite sure what to expect.

"I've definitely stated to (coach) Phil (Jackson) that he's not going to have any problem with me," Pippen said. "I assured him I would come to camp to work, that I would put everything that happened last summer behind me.

"I'm going to come out here and give my best effort on the court and show some leadership, and hopefully this team can make a turnaround."

They were words that Bulls management was hoping for, but could not possibly expect after a summer in which they first tried to trade Pippen, then dangled him, then decided to build a new team around him.

The additions of eight-year veterans Ron Harper and Larry Krystowiak give a decidedly different dimension to a team that bid goodbye this summer to a championship nucleus of Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, John Paxson and Scott Williams. It also leaves the team without familiar leaders and Pippen, conceivably, without a lot of faith.

But he dispelled those worries with a bold prediction. "Personally, I expect us to win at least 50 games," he said. "(And) with the players we have now, yeah, I can say we have a shot (at the title). . . . With the players we brought in, I'm pretty happy with this team. I realize some holes need to be filled, but in time, I hope they will be. . . .

"There may be some tough days throughout the season that I haven't dealt with in my career. But if we stick together, I think everything will be fine."

Pippen said he tried not to get "too emotionally involved" with the events of this summer, but admitted, "I had to deal with it. There were a lot of trade rumors going on, but I didn't let it bother me. I knew I had to be in somebody's training camp today, so here I am."

Placing third on the team payroll won't affect his play, he said. And his teammates expect an emotionally healthy Pippen to help guide the team.

"I think our attitude is that he's our team leader," Will Perdue said. "He's the guy who's going to carry us in certain moments as Michael did when he was here. Unfortunately for Scottie, the moment he had in the Knicks series (sitting out the last 1.8 seconds of Game 3) is something he's always going to be remembered for. I'm sure that's something he regrets wholeheartedly . . . but he apologized to us, and it's something we've accepted.

"One of the best things to happen to Scottie was the retirement of Michael. He may not have been ready for it at first, but last year was a good experience for him and now he's ready to take the load. Last year prepared him."

A svelte-looking Toni Kukoc, who happily reported that he shed 15 pounds but did not want to talk about his almost assured sixth-man status, said Pippen does not have to carry the burden alone.

"After Pippen and B.J., I should be the one taking more responsibility for the team," Kukoc said. "I think it's going to help me. I think it's going to make me more into the team and into the game."

Steve Kerr agreed that the future leadership of the team should be spread around. "That was the idea of bringing Ron (Harper) in, to help Scottie carry the load a little bit, get someone who can create on his own sometimes," Kerr said.

The Bulls' camp officially gets started Friday with the first of their two-a-day practice sessions. Twenty players are on the preseason roster with rookie Dickey Simpkins left unsigned and only one roster spot realistically open.

But for now, anyway, the important news was that at least one player claims he's happy to be here. "(Friday) is a new day for me and time for us to start preparing for the upcoming season," Pippen said.

"I enjoy playing here, and I'm happy to be back. I feel like this city is my home, and hopefully I can finish my career here."